College Football: Greatest Running Back of All Time for Every BCS Team
We've seen some pretty spectacular running backs on the college level. They've come in all shapes, sizes, heights, weights and talent levels, but the great ones all separated themselves by running and performing at high levels.
Some schools have had better overall RB play than others, and while some of the all-time greats may not be on this list due to another all-timer being from the same program, we've decided to name the greatest RB from every BCS program. We'll also take a couple Non-BCS programs and add them on for fun too.
Some picks may shock you, some may be a little out of left field and some may be expected, but nonetheless, this should be fun and spark a good amount of debate.
Here. We. Go.
Note: List is in no particular order or ranking
Louisiville: Michael Bush
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The funny thing with Bush is, he came to Louisville with the intent on playing quarterback. He was a special athlete coming out of high school, but Bobby Petrino eventually sold him on the idea of playing RB, and it paid off big time.
He finished his career with over 2,500 yards and almost 40 touchdowns for the Cardinals.
Ole Miss: Deuce McAlister
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McAlister is the top Rebel back in history, hands down. No debate. He's the only player in Ole Miss history to record three straight 1,000 yard seasons of all purpose yards.
He has Ole Miss records of 616 career carries, 3,060 yards, 41 total touchdowns and 13 100-yard games. There was no back in college football that had the blend of size, rushing and receiving ability like McAlister had at Ole Miss.
Virginia: Tiki Barber
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Barber made his mark in football more so with the New York Giants, yet he was a mid round pick out of Virginia. Undersized at 5'9", 205 pounds, Barber went on to become one the top backs of the decade.
He had a fumbling problem that was corrected with the help of Tom Coughlin, but the former Cavalier is really not welcome at the Giants' facility these days. Good luck on his comeback.
Kansas State: Darren Sproles
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You look at Sproles, and he's what Bill Parcells refers to as a Mascot Player. But then you see him play and you realize he's a beast. Vastly undersized at 5'6", 181 pounds, Sproles is a short strider that has elite quickness and more run strength than given credit for.
2003 was his top year, as he led the FBS in rushing with over 1,900 yards rushing and finished fifth in the Heisman voting.
Florida State: Warrick Dunn
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Dunn was one of the very key cogs for the wave of domination for FSU in the 1990s. 5'9", 190 pounds, Dunn's toughness and durability were his two best traits in my opinion, over his quickness, vision, instincts and speed.
He has several records at FSU, including career yards for 3,959 and single season rushing yards with 1,418. Dunn also was an All-American sprinter at FSU.
Stanford: Toby Gerhart
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Some say Gerhart should have won the Heisman over Mark Ingram in 2009, and their argument is valid. But there is no argument that Gerhart goes down as the top runner in Stanford history.
6'1", 230 pounds, Gerhart was a raging bull on The Farm. He has a bevy of decorations as a player, including the Pac-10 marks for most touchdowns in a season with 28 and most rushing yards in a season for Stanford at 1,871, among others.
Rutgers: Ray Rice
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Ray originally was slated for Syracuse, but when the Orange fired Paul Pasqualoni, he switched to Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights welcomed him with open arms, and he had an immediate impact.
As a true freshman, he gained over 11 yards, and then as a sophomore, set the Rutgers single season mark at 1,794. His 35 career touchdowns is also a Rutgers record.
BYU: Luke Staley
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Staley is a back that could have been held in higher regard if not for nagging injuries. Yet his toughness got him this honor, and he deserves it. He took home the Doak Walker award in his junior year.
In 2001, he rushed for a record 1,596 yards and 24 touchdowns, which were big time feats, since BYU was known as a passing school. He averaged a staggering 8.1 yards per pop and scored five touchdowns in a game twice that season.
Arkansas: Darren McFadden
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McFadden made an immediate impact at Arkansas. As a true freshman, he rushed for 1,113 and 11 touchdowns. The next year, he rushed for 1,647 yards and 14 scores, tossing for three more.
But his junior season in 2007 was silly. He topped out at 1,829 yards and 16 scores, tossing four more and being considered the most outstanding college football player in the country, bar none. McFadden did everything for the Hog offense, playing both running back and QB, even catching passes out of the backfield.
West Virginia: Steve Slaton
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Slaton is a 5'9", 200 pounder that just got the job done. Some may criticized him for not being uber-tough, but his stats show he was uber-good in Morgantown. He and Pat White were the two pillar faces of the WVU program in the late 2000's.
Slaton holds records in various categories for rushing, receiving, touchdowns and rushing attempts. Not just in WVU history, but I'm talking Big East conference history.
Purdue: Leroy Keyes
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Keyes made his mark on offense and defense while he was Boilermaker. Aside from being a top flight rock toter, Keyes also doubled as a solid cornerback and dazzled in the return game.
Yet his natural running instincts and ability made him an All American running back for Purdue in the late 1960's. He burst on scene, as in his first game for Purdue vs. Notre Dame in a nationally televised contest, Keyes took a kickoff to the house 94 yards.
He's in the College Football Hall of Fame today.
Army: Doc Blanchard
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To those aroudn West Point, Blanchard is simply known as "Mr. Inside". He teamed with Glenn Davis, Mr. Outside, as perhaps the greatest running back tandem in college football history. Ed McKeevey, then head coach at Notre Dame called Blanchard "Superman".
38 touchdowns. 1908 yards. Time Magazine cover. 1945 Heisman. Enough said.
South Florida: Andre Hall
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Hall takes the nod for the Bulls, as the first team all Big East member in 2005 has many of the records for the Bulls' young program. 5'10", 215 pounds, Hall rushed for over 2700 career yards and 24 career touchdowns for USF.
North Carolina: Amos Lawrence
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Lawrence played on Chapel Hill during the late 1970's and early 1980's, toting the rock well for the Tar Heels. He is the career leader in rushing yards, as he ran for 4391 in total.
He was a fourth round pick to the Chargers in the 1981 draft. Yet, Lawrence's career in the NFL never was a dominant as his college career, but he still goes down as the top UNC back ever.
Washington: Corey Dillon
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Dillon is another player that is a reflection of how a program can strike gold via the JUCO ranks. He came to Washington as the national JC offensive player of the year and in 1996 rushed for a record 1695 yards and 22 touchdowns.
In the first quarter vs. San Jose State of that season, Dillon ran for 222 yards. He went on to have a solid career in the NFL, mainly with the Bengals where he set the then record for rushing yard sin a game at 278.
LSU: Jim Taylor
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I'm going with Taylor for LSU, even though he was technically a fullback. 6'0", 215 pounds, Taylor was a very strong and forceful runner, who relished contact. You can say he was an old school bruiser type.
He was a first team All-American in 1957 and the 1958 Senior Bowl MVP. He won for total pro title sand was a six time All Pro with the packers.
Mississippi State: Anthony Dixon
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A big, bullying back with deceptive speed, Dixon wreaked havoc around the SEC from 2006-2009. 6'1", 233 pounds, Dixon holds several rushing records for the Bulldogs.
He topped out at 3994 yards in his career and scored a record 276 total points for MSU. In 2009, he set the season mark for rushing yards with 1391, and game record with 252 yards.
Top Bulldog back ever.
Ohio State: Archie Griffin
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The only player ever to win two Heismans. I gave Griffin the nod over Eddie George. I never saw Griffin play, but his highlights and the stories I've heard are other worldly. He rushed for at least 1450 yards in three straight years at Ohio State.
His top year was 1974, where rushed for 1695 yards and 12 scores, the first year he won the Heisman.
Arizona: Trung Canidate
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Canidate was a speedster's speedster in the dessert. He could outrun anybody and used that speed to become a prime time back in Tuscon. 5'10", 195 pounds, once he turned on the jets, he was gone.
Canidate is the career leader in rushing yards for Arizona, totaling 3824 in his career with 1602 as tops in a season in 1999. He was a first round pick to the Rams in 2000.
Illinois: Red Grange
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The Galloping Ghost easily takes the cake for Illinois. Rashard Mendenhall got consideration, but Grange just did work. Some say he's the best college football player ever. And they say it emphatically too.
He was dominant in his day. Sheer magical and productive. He played in 20 games and ran for 3362 yards, threw for 575 yards and caught 14 passes. He scored 31 total touchdowns and nine of them were from 50 yards out.
I can go on and on about The Ghost but I'll. Just look him up and see how dominant he was.
UConn: Donald Brown
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UConn has only been a FBS team for a short while, but Brown may be the best overall player to play in Stoors. 5'10", 210 pounds, he worked himself into being a first round pick to the Colts in 2009.
He left UConn as the all-time leading rusher with over 3800 yards and topped the 2000 clip in 2008.He scored 35 total touchdowns and also caught 48 passes.
Kansas: Gale Sayers
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I almost went with Riggins, as he broke some of Sayer's records, but Sayers was too good. The Kansas Comet had speed, agility, quickness, and a keen explosion. He was one of the true original home run threats.
He gained 3917 all-purpose yards, including 2675 via rushing. Sayers was also an elite return man. Not bad for a guy who wanted to go to Iowa.
Tennessee: Travis Henry
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I was close to going with Jamaal Lewis, very close. But I chose to stick with Henry. The one trait that you always loved about Henry was his toughness. He was a gamer above everything else and was nails on Saturdays for the Vols.
He's the all-time leader in Vols history in career rushing yards with 3078, rushing attempts with 556, and 100 yard games with 14.
Top Rocky Top rock toter in history.
Maryland: LaMont Jordan
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Jordan was a rare big back with elite speed. 5'10", 230 pounds, he also was routinely timed in the 4.3 and 4.4 range. Another element of note with Jordan was he also had great kick off return ability. Imagine covering kicks and seeing a man of his size and bulk coming downhill at you. Geez.
He's the all time leading rusher for the Terps at over 4000 yards and also has the single season mark (1632) and single game mark (302). He played in the NFL mainly for the Jets and Raiders.
Duke: Steve Jones
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Duke hasn't had much success on the gridiron outside the 1950's and 1960's, but Jones set the single season rushing mark in 1972 with 1236 yards, winning ACC Player of the Year.. He was a fifth round tot he Rams and played most of his career with the Bills and St. Louis Cardinals.
He finished up at Duke with 2951 yards and 20 touchdowns. Jones set 11 records during his career at Duke.
Indiana: Anthony Thompson
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Thompson is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and has 5, 299 career rushing yards. I'd like see to who breaks that record for the Hoosiers, because that will be a serious feat.
1989 was Thompson's prime season as he finished second in the Heisman race to Andre Ware. He scored 65 career touchdowns, totaling 412 points and ran for 377 yards for Wisconsin.
Missouri: Devin West
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You can make an argument that Missouri's top running back was actually Brad Smith, but he was a QB, so out of technicality, I'm going with Devin West. 6'2",225 pounds, West was a big back with great length and ran with a solid forward lean at times.
He rushed for 1578 yards in 1998, including 319 yards vs. Kansas is a performance where he put the Tigers on his back. He also ran for 252 yards on 40 carries vs. Iowa State that same season.
Virginia Tech: Kevin Jones
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For VaTech, I considered Lee Suggs, Cyrus Lawrence, Darren Evans, Mike Imoh and Ryan Williams. But I'm going with Jones. He came to Blacksburg as one of the most hyped recruits in history, and had a pretty solid career, capping it off with a first round selection by the Lions.
6'0", 225 pounds, Jones left VaTech with 3475 career rushing yards, 35 touchdowns on 616 carries, which are second all time. He also caught 24 passes.
If you add in the fact that he shared the backfield with Lee Suggs in 2001 and 2002, then you see his numbers likely would be even better if he had the man all three years in his career.
Iowa: Sedrick Shaw
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Hawkeye faithful I was close to going with Shonn Greene, but the honor goes to Shaw. He's the all-time leading rusher in Iowa history with 4156 yards.
6'0", 215 [pounds, Shaw was third round pick by the Patriots and played for New England, the Browns and Bengals in a short pro career.
Baylor: Walter Abercrombie
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Baylor has had its share of ups and downs on the gridiron during the years, but Abercrombie is one their top player sin history. There's no question he's the top Bear urning back in history though.
He's the all-time leader in career rushing years with 3665 yards. In 1980, he set the single season record at Baylor for rushing yards in a game wit 1187.
Kentucky: Moe Williams
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Sonny Collins is the Wildcats' all-time leading rusher at 3835 yards, but I think Williams was the better back. 6'1", 210 pounds, Williams numbers aren't too shabby either.
He has 3333 career rushing yards, 618 rushes and an average of 5.4 yards a pop. He also chipped in 27 grabs for 313 yards to all be tied to 27 total touchdowns.
He played 10 years in the NFL, mainly with the Vikings.
Arizona State: Woody Green
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Gerald Riggs was considered, but I chose to stick with Green. He's the top rusher in ASU history and left Tempe with 4188 career yards on the ground. 1972 was his best year, as he ran for 1565 yards, which is a single season Sun Devil Record.
An All-American pick for ASU, the 6'0", 205 pounder had a shortened pro career due to injuries. He's one of the prime players who's career never was due to various leg injuries.
Oregon Jonathan Stewart
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5'10", 230 pounds, Stewart was an elite recruit coming out of high school and became an elite college running back in Oregon. He pledged to the Ducks early in the process out of Washington and never looked back.
Stewart's main trait was balance. He always found a way to stay on his feet and continue getting upfield. Couple that with great power, strength, quickness and above average speed, and you get a back that ran for the single season mark of 1722 yards and became a first round pick to the Panthers in 2008.
Miami: OJ Anderson
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Edgerrin James and Willis McGahee were among the other top backs considered for The U, but Anderson the nod. A big back, Anderson stood 6'2", 220 pounds in his day and is the all time leading rusher in Hurricane history, having 3331 yards.
He's the first Hurricane running back to rush for over 1000 yards and ran for 1266 in a season. He was a first round pick to the St. Louis Cardinals.
California: Russell White
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There was Chuck Muncie, Marshawn Lynch, JJ Arrington, Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen among the Cal backs to choose from. I liked Lynch, but I White takes the cake for me.
5'11", 216 pounds, he's Cal's all time leading rusher at 3367 yards and was a sensational athlete. White had very good play speed, quickness, nimble feet, vision and run instincts. He goes down at the best Berkley back of all time.
Minnesota: Darrell Thompson
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I wanted to go all the way to the old school days and go with Bronco Nagurski, as Nagurski defined toughness and grit. Yet Thompson's numbers and all-time career rushing status leader takes the cake for me.
6'0" 215 pounds, Thompson is all-time Golden Gopher rushing leader with 4654 yards. He became a first round pick to the Packers and played in 60 career NFL games.
Clemson: CJ Spiller
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I don't like to use the term "play maker" with any and every player like others do. But Spiller was the epitome of the term. He reminded me so much of Marshall Faulk as a Tiger.
Spiller factored as a runner, receiver and return man, going off on opponents all three ways. He had speed, quickness, agility, strength, vision and very good elusiveness.
I considered Raymond Priester, but across the board, Spiller's numbers are better. Spiller totaled 3480 yards and 32 touchdowns rushing and 1362 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving in his career at Clemson.
Michigan: Mike Hart
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A smallish, but stout back at 5'9". 205 pounds, Hart embodied Michigan football all four years he stayed in Ann Arbor. He was productive and showed up ready to work every Saturday. Some say Hart is a future head coach at Michigan.
In 2004, he set a new Big Blue mark for freshman backs with 1455 yards and nine scores. 2005 was a down year as he had a bad hamstring but 2006 brought 1562 yards and 14 scores and 2006 saw 13361 and another 14 scores.
His career 1015 carries and 5040 yards are Michigan records.
TCU : LaDanian Tomlinson
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Tomlinson is one of the best running backs to play both college and in the NFL. He surely will make the Hall of Fame in both tiers of football, as he holds several records for the Horned Frogs. In his junior season, LT rushed for a record 406 yards vs. UTEP.
That same year he lead the NCAA with 1850 yards and 18 scores. Like fine wine, Tomlinson got better a year later as he topped the 2100 yard mark and chipped in 22 touchdowns. His 5263 career yards is sixth in NCAA history.
San Diego State: Marshall Faulk
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First, let me say this: I know SDSU is not a BCS school, but as I said in the intro we'll add a few schools who had some amazing runners just for fun.
Secondly, there are two players that I've seen play and used the term "Superman" alluding to them. Faulk was the first for me. He was the best player in football in his prime with the Rams. Not just running back, but best player.
At SDSU, Faulk came from New Orleans as a prep due to many schools felt he should move to DB. All he did as an Aztec was leave as their all-time leading rusher at 4589 yards, score a record 62 touchdowns and in only his second game in college topped out at 387 yards rushing vs. Pacific.
Wisconsin: Ron Dayne
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The Great Dayne was a sensation at Camp Randall. Not to be all hype and smoke and mirrors, Dayne was very, very, very productive. 5'11", 250 pounds, Dayne rushed for at least 1300 yards in all four years at Wisconsin.
He's the FBS all-time leading rusher at 6397 as his rushing totals year to year were: 1863, 1421, 1325 and 1834. He took home the Heisman in 1999 and his No.33 is retired from Wisconsin football.He amassed over 7100 total yards and even 12 200 yard games.
South Carolina: George Rogers
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6'2", 230 pounds, Rogers came to Columbia thinking he would likely play fullback. But the Gamecocks lost their top two tailbacks to graduation, so he was moved to running back and never looked back.
Rogers set just about every rushing record for the Gamecocks and is their leading all-time rusher at 5204 yards, including the single season record of 1894 in 1980. He's the first South Carolina player to have his No. retired while still being active at the school.
Oregon State: Steven Jackson
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When I worked for Las Vegas Gladiators a few years, ago, some of the good folks in Vegas told me some stories about Jackson as a high school player. The main word used was "dominant". Some games Jackson would have only around 10 carries or so, but over 100 or more yards.
Jackson defined the term "Beast" at Oregon State. He totaled 3625 yards and 39 scores at OSU, 66 catches, 680 yards, six touchdowns, and seven kickoff returns for scores.
6'2", 235 pounds, he's a huge back with excellent speed and athletic ability. He's one of the most complete backs in the NFL today.
Honorable mention goes to Ken Simonton.
Penn State: Curt Warner
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Nittany Lions fans, I know I could have went the likes of Lenny Moore, Curtis Enis, Ki-Jana Carter, Blair Thomas, Larry Johnson or even Evan Royster, but I think Warner is the right pick.
He won a national title for the PSU in 1983 and lead the squad in rushing from 1980-1982. He finished his career as the school's all-time leading rusher at 3398 yards and 42 records in the Penn State books were attached to Warner's name.
The Honorable mention for this one is highly debatable and any of them could have took home the honors.
SMU: Eric Dickerson
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The goggles. The smooth running style. The 6'3", 220 pound frame. Whatever it was, Dickerson had "it", He was outstanding at SMU and in the NFL most notably with the Rams.
Dickerson was first headed to Texas A&M, but his grandmother asked him to go to SMU where he teamed with Craig James as the "Pony Express". He finished his career 4490 and 48 touchdowns.
He holds the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season with 2105.
Northwestern: Damian Anderson
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5'11", 220 pounds Anderson takes the nod for the Wildcats. He finished his career as Northwestern's all-time leading rusher and ran for over 2000 yards in 2000, where he finished fifth in the Heisman race.
He has several Big Ten and Northwestern records, including 4485 rushing yards, which is tops at NU and eight in Big Ten history. His 38 touchdowns and 5261 all-purpose yards are tops at Northwestern.
Michigan State: Lorenzo White
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White hailed form Florida but made his mark in Sparta. 5'11", 225 pounds, he was a very good running back and the best in Spartan history. Honorable mention goes to TJ Duckett and Sedrick irvin.
He's the first Big Ten back to eclipse the 2000 yard mark, as he ran for 2066 in 1985. He was a first round pick to the Oilers in 1988 and played eight years in the NFL.
Georgia Tech: Robert Lavette
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5'11", 190 pounds, Lavette was the man for the Yellow Jackets during the 1980's era. He re-wrote various school records and is a member of the GT Sports Hall of Fame.
He's the all-time leading Yellow Jacket rusher with 4066 yards, 5393 all-purpose yards and scored 46 touchdowns. He was a fourth round pick tot eh Cowboys in 1985 and also toted the rock for the Eagles briefly.
Eddie Lee Ivery was seriously considered.
Utah: Eddie Johnson
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Johnson is the Utes all-time leading rusher, as from 1984-1988 he totaled 3219 yards. He came to Utah with the intent of joining a program that prided itself on running the ball, but in the middle of Johnson's career, the Utes switched to a more passing predicated offense under then coach Jim Fassel.
However, Johnson was still a first team All-WAC selection at just 5'9", 175 pounds. He played with excellent balance and good leg strength, allowing him to stay on his feet. You have to wonder what Johnson's numbers would have been if Utah never switched their offenses.
Cincinnati: Reggie Taylor
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The sad thing about Taylor is that he was a good player on a bad team during his era from 1983-1986. The Bearcats never won more than five games while he he was a RB for them, which meant his national spotlight wasn't as big as it should have been.
However, Taylor, a two-time Metro Conference MVP, is the Cincinnati all-time leading rusher at 4242 yards and was an 11th round pick to the Bucs in 1987.He has over 21 100 yard games for Cincinnati and rushed for over 1000 yards in each of his last three seasons.
Washington State: Jerome Harrison
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Harrison was a 5'9", 205 shifty type of back that came to Wazzu after two years of the JUCO ball. He spent his junior year sharing carries with Chris Bruhn, but somehow and someway he still rushed for over 900 yards.
But he saw Bruhn leave the next year and got comfortable in his backfield digs. Harrison rushed for 100 yards in 16 straight games, a record, and topped the Cougar single season mark of 1900 in2005, earning him an All-American selection.
Iowa State: Troy Davis
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Davis was a only 5'8", and barely 180 pounds. You looked at him during warm ups and figured he was a walk on. Then you saw him run and you were amazed. It's a wonder how productive Davis was at his smallish stature.
He was the first running back in college football history to rush for over 2000 yards in consecutive seasons and finished second in the Heisman race in 1996. His 4382 career yards and 2185 single season yards in 1996, to go along with his 378 yards vs. Missouri are all records. He also added 126 total points.
Vanderbilt: Frank Mordica
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Vanderbilt football hasn't necessarily rivaled the success of Notre Dame, USC, Michigan or Miami among others, but one of their bright spots aside from jay Cutler is Frank Mordica.
Mordica torched defenses in the SEC for the Commies in the late 1970's. He's the school's all-time leading rusher in 2632 career yards, including 321 vs. Air Force.
Top Vandy back of all-time.
Colorado: Rashan Salaam
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People knocked Salaam coming gout of high school because he played 8-man ball in Southern California. Boy did they shut up pretty quickly. Salaam proved whether it be 8-man, 11-man or whatever else, he could light up defenses as a running back.
It was Salaam's junior season that saw him just go bonkers. He rushed for 2055 yards, 24 touchdowns and ran the Buffs to a Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. He won the Heisman, Doak Walker and Walter Camp awards in that year and became a first round pick tot eh Bears in 1995.
NC State: Ted Brown
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5'10", 205 pounds, Brown was a first round pick by the Vikings in 1979. Yet, he got that status by being dominant at NC State. He holds several records among NC State and ACC record books.
He held the ACC career rushing mark at 4602, which now is the NC State career record. His 1350 yards in 1978 and 251 yards vs. Penn State in 1977 are still Wolfpack records to this day as well.
Brown also scored 312 career points, which is also the most in school history.
Notre Dame: Autry Denson
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There are a slew of other runners from South Bend that I could have went with, I know. Trust me, they all were considered, but Denson's production can not be denied. 5'10", 195 pounds, he got the job done in his career witht eh Golden Domers.
Denson is Notre Dame's all-time leading rusher at 4318 yards, and scored 43 touchdowns. He topped 1268 yards and 12 scores and 1997 and followed up that year with a 1306 yard and 18 touchdown 1998 season.
Again, there could have been others, but Men lie, women lie, numbers don't. Denson has the numbers at Notre Dame.
Georgia: Herschel Walker
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Thsi was easy. Walker is one the greatest athletic specimens in the history of sports. I'm talking like the real history of sports, all the way back to the orginial Greek Olympic days. Seriously.
6'1", 225 pounds, he could do it all. Size, speed, power, strength, force, balance, quickness, explosion, Walker was the man at Georgia. He rushed for 5259 career yards, including 1891 in 1981, which are records in Athens. His 283 vs. Vanderbilt in 1980 is also a record.
He's one the greatest runing backs and players of all time.
Wake Forest: Chris Barclay
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I was with the Browns when Barclay returned a kickoff against the Chiefs in the 2007 preseason, as he flashed speed and quickness all through camp. He flashed the same traits at Wake Forest, as the 5'10" 180 pounder is the scool's all-time leading rusher at 4032 yards.
He was a three time All-ACC RB and the ACC offensive Player of the Year in 2005.
Texas Tech: Byron Hanspard
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Byron Hanspard is a controversial figure in Lubbock. He was an ordained minister, but in his junior year it was discovered he had stopped going to class and he had a 0.0 GPA. This forced the Red Raiders to take their name out of bowl game consideration.
However, looking at his numbers, he's still the best RB Texas Tech has ever had. He is the all time rushing leader with 4219 yards. In 1996 Hanspard rushed for 2084 yards, which is tops for single season for Texas Tech.
Boston College: Mike Cloud
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Cloud got the job done for BC, as the Rhode Island native was extremely productive for the Eagles. He left as the school's all-time leading rusher with 3597 yards after playing in 45 games. Derrick Knight has since topped the feat with 3725 yards.
Cloud set the BC single season clip in 1998 with 1726 yards.
Texas A&M: Darren Lewis
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5'10", 230 pounds, Lewis is the top Aggie runner in history. He was a sixth round pick by the Bears in 1991 after a stellar career in College Station.
Lewis is the all-time leading rusher in A&M history, totaling over 5000 yards from 1987-1990. He is tied for hold on the single season scoring record as he totaled 114 total points in his final year for the Aggies.
His 1692 yards in 1988 is still a single season rushing best.
UCLA: Maurice Jones-Drew
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Jones-Drew burst on to the scene really when in 2001, he scored four touchdowns vs. Long Beach Poly in a nationally televised game for his De La Salle prep team. Undersized at only 5'7", Jones -Drew is a stout 210 pounds and has excellent balance, strength, leg drive, toughness and speed.
His top year UCLA was in 2004, when he rushed for over 1000 yards and eight scores. He has always been a bit in the shadow of Reggie Bush, but since they've been in the NFL, Jones-Drew has shown to be a better running back.
Pitt: Tony Dorsett
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Dorsett is one the best overall running backs all-time, college or pro. 5'11", 190 pounds, he had very good speed and quickness. He combined that with excellent feet, agility and vision to just do work.
At Pitt, Dorsett was three time All-American and in 1976 he won the Heisman, Maxwell and Camp awards after he ran for 1948 yards. He finished his career as the NCAA's all-time leading rusher with 6082 yards.
He went on to become a 4-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion with the Cowboys.
Nebraska: Mike Rozier
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A 5'10", 210 pound phenom, Rozier is the best running back in Nebraska history. There may be some debate, but at the end of the day it has to be Rozier here.
His 4780 yards are tops among Big Red ball carriers at the career marks and he also holds the single season record at 2148, set in 1983. Frank Solich was the main coach credited to discovering Rozier in the high school ranks.
Rozier was sent to Coffeyville JC in Kansas to work on his grades as freshman and even there he rushed for over 1157 yards and ten scores. He then came to Nebraska and developed into one of the greatest running backs in history.
He won the Heisman, Camp, Maxwell and Harley awards in 1983 and went on to become a two time Pro Bowler with the Oilers.
Oklahoma: Billy Sims
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Although I think Adrian Peterson was a better running back for Oklahoma and if he would have stayed four years in Norman, would have broke Sims' records, I chose to leave Sims here.
6'0", 215 pounds in his prime, Sims dazzled everyone who saw him play and perform. His freshman and sophomore years heard whispers of Sims being too injury prone, but his Junior year quieted that chatter as he ran for over 1700 yards.
He won the Heisman in 1978 as a junior and finished second in voting in 1979, even though he had an even better year with over 1800 yards and 22 scores. Sims 4118 yards rushing is still the Sooner career record.
Alabama: Shaun Alexander
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Alexander had a reputation of being a bit of a selfish player at times, and a running back who complained when he felt he wasn't getting the ball as much. But most of the time when he ran, you immediately thought "if I was that good, I'd complain for more carries too".
He's the Crimson Tide's all-time leading rusher at 3565 yards and his 291 yard performance vs. LSU in 1996 is also another high mark he owns in Alabama allure.
In 1999 the 5'11", 225 pound Alexander scored a single season record of 144 points. He went on to become a first round pick by the Seahawks in 2000, winning the NFL MVP in 2005.
Oklahoma State: Barry Sanders
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This was a tough call to make as I could have also went with Thurman Thomas, but Sanders was too dazzling. He may be the best running back of all-time. Period. At any level.
Sanders was Thomas' understudy for a few years, then took over when the Bills selected Thomas. His 1988 season was just silly. Sanders rushed for over 2600 yards, averaging a 7.6 yards a carry, 200 yards per game and had four 300 yard games.
He scored 39 touchdowns, that season, totaled 3248 all-purpose yards. Oh, right, he also won the Heisman too that year. Almost forgot that.
Also nearly forgot he played for the Lions and killed defenses on the norm every Sunday.
Auburn: Bo Jackson
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Bo knows he should be the top back in Auburn history. We all do. And he is. 6'1", 230 pounds, what couldn't Jackson do athletically. He's on the same freakish athletic status as Herschel Walker. He was just a sheer specimen.
He played football and baseball and was amazing at both. But his speed, strength, burst, power, quickness and run instincts as a running back almost make him a mythical legend. If not for a bad hip, he might have become the NFL's all-time leading rusher.
However, he still is the all-time leading rusher for the Tigers with 4303 career yards, with a single season record 1786 coming in 1985.
Honorable mention goes to Stephen Davis, Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown.
Syracuse: Jim Brown
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I could have gone with Ernie Davis here,and the selection would have been easily warranted no doubt. But Jim Brown is the best football player of all time in my opinion. His numbers may not appear to be as eye popping as other backs, bu the 6'2", 235 pounder was dominant in every sense of the word.
I have a debate with my friend all the time about Brown, as I argue the same things we see Adrian Peterson doing in the NFL at his size, is what Jim Brown was basically doing in his day. Brown just got bored of running over people and decided to retire early.
Davis was a heck of a player too, don't get me wrong, but Brown is considered by many at the best player of all time.
Florida: Emmitt Smith
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Smith for some reason never gets his credit, likely because he played behind some of the best offensive lines ever assembled, but Smith was a great player in his own right.
He's the all-time leading rusher in the NFL's history and won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys. Even in high school, talent evaluators like Max Emfinger said Smith would be a huge bust at Florida.
Well. He wasn't. He left Gainesville as the Gator leader in career rushing yards with 3928 and career rushing touchdowns with 36, among many other records. He left Florida after his junior year because in came some coach named Steve Spurrier who ran a pass-happy offense.
The Cowboys took Smith in the first round and he went to become one of the most decorated player sin history.
USC: Charles White
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This was perhaps the very toughest one to do decide on. You try choosing between, White, OJ Simpson, Ricky Bell, Marcus Allen, Reggie Bush, Sam Cunningham, Anthony Davis and LenDale White among others.
Len Dale has the scoring record, Cunningham changed culture, Bell lit up defenses, Allen dazzled, OJ was a specimen, Davis had the speed, Bush is one of the greatest player's to ever play college football (unofficially). It was tough.
So in a push, I settled on Charles white, the all-time leader in rushing for USC at 6245. The running back position at USC is an embarrassment of overall riches.
Texas: Ricky Williams
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This was an easier selection and sentimental choice for yours truly. I idolized Williams when I played and adapted much of his running style when I was a rock toter in the prep ranks. 5'10", 230 pounds, Williams had 4.4 speed, quick feet, power, great vision and natural run instincts.
He finished his career in Austin as the Longhorn's and NCAA career leader in rushing yards with 6279, though Ron Dayne broke the NCAA mark the next year. His 2124 yards in 1998 is a single season record at Texas, and he scored a record 452 career points.
Williams holds several other records for the Longhorns, although Earl Campbell and Cedric Benson are a few others who could have been named here.
